Brand Build Guide by RealmriderX1

Introducion

Hey guys, welcome! Make yourselves comfortable and enjoy while you read this guide! This is an in-depth guide, which is guiding you to playing Brand, the Burning Vengence. Also worth to mention that this is an in-depth guide. Read it whole or dont read it at all. Have fun reading summoners!!

Exordium

Okay, time to start with the guide. As you may know, i've already created a guide on Gangplank which is atm 3rd on the list. This, this is a guide on Brand.
- Brand is an Ranged AP Bursting Nuker, who is well suited to absolutely tear apart your opponents with his insane burst damage. To be a successful Brand, you must be skilled enough to time your spells, to combine them properly, and to be skilled enough with skillshots, especially linear ones like Sear or Mystic Shot. Guys, read the whole guide, and i promise you that You WILL do fine. I never failed using this build, nor my friends did.

Pro's/Con's

Pro's:

Con's:

Runes

-My rune setup is quite simple. I use Magic Penetration marks for bigger damage dealt to enemy units of all kind. It helps me nuke harder early game and also penetrate enemy's MR late game. Most potent marks for AP Nukers like Brand.

-My yellow slots are flat Ability Power seals for increased damage in all stages of game. Omg Realmrider Y U NO TAKE MANA REG.? Its simple. If you have at least SOME experience with Brand, you will notice that he is not mana hungry. So i've chosen Flat AP seals.

-My blue slots AKA Glyphs are used for Per Level Ability Power runes. As i already have enough flat AP From Seals/Quints, i need some late game boost. Those runes are just perfect for that.

-My Quints are same as my Seals. Flat AP, same as my yellows and same reason as well. Need i say more?

Runes
Greater Mark of Magic Penetration 9	Greater Seal of Ability Power 9	Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power 9	Greater Quintessence of Ability Power 3

Masteries

My Masteries are 21-0-9. Why? This is the offensive setup, used especially when laning mid. Thats what you're gonna do mostly. With Brand i mean. This setup helps me deal tons of damage early game mainly(while masteries are SOMETIMES Ignorable late game), and help me harass my enemies all throughout the game.

Masteries
4/1	4/5	1/1	3/5	4/1	4/	1/	3/1	1/1	1/1	3/5	1/1

Skills

In this section, we will together review Brand's skills, find their purposes and things like that. I'll explain every skill particulary, because i have something to say for every of them.

- This here is called Blaze. Its Brand's passive power and its pretty unique, and lets say that without this passive, Brand wouldn't be so special. 1st of all, Blaze is Brand's personal DOT, like Ignite for example. Thus, this passive will activate on casting a spell and hitting an opponent with it. Now, Brand's combos are just insane, just because of Blaze and it's additional effects.

- This one is called Sear. Its a linear skillshot, that deals damage to first enemy unit it hits. However, IF the targert is being affected by Blaze, Sear will also stun the target. This skill is extremely important. Why? Because it gives A STUN! That means that you will be able to cast your Pillar of Flame with ease. Awesome skill in any case.

- This one here, is Pillar of Flame. Trust me folks, this here is Brand's bread and butter. Omg Realm noob Y U NO EXPLAIN? 1st of all, this deals AoE damage, which basically, if well aimed can hit the whole enemy team in the bush waiting for an ambush. 2nd, Pillar of Flame is extremely useful for harrassing your opponents in any lane. And i mean ANY LANE. When aiming with Pillar of Flame, always aim behind your opponents. Orly, Y? Well, most people will reflexively go back after they see you cast a spell on them. And if you did as i said, they walked right into the center of the pillar. If the enemy target affected by Blaze is hitted with Pillar of Flame it will deal bonus magic damage, about 25%. Thats a lot considering that this skill IS your main damage dealing source. On lvl 18, a basic damage dealt by Pillar of Flame will be..approximately 260 magic damage, plus 0.6 of your basic AP.

- Brand's third skill is his main Blaze source. Why? The purpose of Conflagration is not to deal damage. I mean, literally it is, but the main reason you use this skill is to trigger the passive. On lvl 18 it deals 210 Magic damage + 0.55 per AP. For example, you are facing Malzahar on mid. Lets say he has about 400 health left, but his full HP will be about..700? Very well. You are level 5, still dont your ultimate. So, the thing i do mostly in a situation like this i flash next to my opponent, instahit with E and then A FAST Sear aimed towards Malz. Then you can easily land Pillar of Flame and if you want, Ignite ignite the target. This combo, lets call it EQW will tear apart any kind of champion you face on mid. Also to mention that when you activate this on a target thats ablaze, the Conflagration will spread on surrounding units setting them on fire and dealing same damage as it dealt to the unit which received the "main hit".

- Teh Ultimate powah! Its called Pyroclasm and trust me, this is ONE OF THE BEST ultimates in game. What's so special about it? Well, hitting a single target with Pyroclasm is a sign that you are noob. Why? This ultimate is meant for hitting multiple targets, because it spreads! I mean it's jumping from unit to unit dude, and it can hit several units 7 times! LOLWUT? It means that when you ulti Annie, next to who are Master Yi and Malphite, you will deal 7*350 on lvl 18. Thats 2250 damage. and lets say that you deal about 600 damage on each of them. I mean thats A LOT of magic damage. If the target is ablaze, the fireball will move faster.

So, the conclusion is that Brand's skills are all really sweet, useful and just awesome to have. Thats why Brand's my main AP Caster, i <3 him and he will always be the best AP in game for me. Nao, da maths(for lvl 18 with 0 ap) for Your EQWR combo: 210+240+260+350*7=710+2250=2960+500 extra damage from your AP=3460+2% of the enemy's current health=CLOSE TO 3800 MAGIC DAMAGE

Skill Sequence

-My skill sequence? Okay, i max Pillar of Flame 1st because with it you have the biggest chance to hit your opponents early game, considering they aint fast, and for easy farming. I take conglagration at level 2 for even more easier farming and max it last. I take sear at lvl 3 for some serious harrassing and max it 4th. I take my ultimate at lvl 6 and max it on lvls 11 and 16, which means i max it 3rd.

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

Items: The Primar build

We've been all waiting for this part..^^
Guys, if you dont trust in my build, just PM me and tell me the problem. I've been studying about this build, and trust me, i think that this is the best build ever on Brand, not because its mine but because i truly think so. Why? Well, with this build, you will have a moderate amount of AP, which is about..lets say, 600 Ability Power. Plus, the Nashor's buff, plus the Aura's, equals to about 700 ability power nuff said. Time to review each item particulary.

- I start with Doran's Ring for addional Ability Power early game. It gives me a moderate amount of ManaReg, as well early game, and lets me cast my spells to harass the enemy champion and farm constantly with Pillar of Flame and Conflagration. Now, you may wonder why dont i start with the boots? Because i dont want to. I Dont get bonus health(Which Doran's Ring gives me!), i dont get any regen, and i only have the Flat AP from my runes. Yuck. Also, Amplifying Tome is a VIABLE option but i still preffer taking Doran's Ring when i start the game.

- Those are the basic boots to take for any kind of AP champ. Why? 1st i've got the basic unique passive Movement Speed. Thats fair enough. Next, the thing i get is Magic Penetration. This will make your spells hit HARD, and also easily rape the enemy tanks. Whats the point? The point is those are the most effective boots for Brand. They may be a bit more expensive then the most but they're worth of buyin'. Other viable choices are:

• Ninja Tabi-If facing a champ like Gangplank
• Mercury's Treads-If facing a hard CC champion
• Boots of Mobility-Um..if you are..err..roaming?

- Ah, the so-called Infinity Edge for AD champs, this baby IS A MUST. Omg why? Stupid question indeed but i will fulfill Jhoijhoi's request and explain it. This item gives you 140 AP, which is highest in the game. Also, the passive is just funny, it increases your basic AP by 30% of your AP. The more AP you have, the more AP you will get. I dont have nothing more to say about this item except you must buy unless you are trolling.

- I buy Rylai's right after i buy Rabadon's Deathcap. Why? Well, summoners, 1st of all i need kinda defensive item to remove squishiness. Rylai will give me 500 health, which is just enough to make me be bulky nuclear bomb. Literally. No wait, no literally. Just scriptually. Forget it. The main thing next to bulkiness is 80 AP. Thats 3rd largest AP-giving item in game. Now when i think about it, nothing special about AP, teh REAL thing is the passive you get from Rylai's Crystal Scepter. When dealing magic damage, your spells will slow your opponents for 30% for about 1.5 seconds or so. AoE spell's slow is reduced to 15% from 30%. This item is a must as well.

- Will of the Ancients(call it WotA) will give you a basic amount of 50 ability power, plus the aura of 30 AP which is totally 80 AP, plus 25% spell vamp. You remmember the part where we've been doing maths about damage? We concluded that the approximate damage dealt with the full combo to multiple targets is 3800. So, 25 of 3800 is about 950. :TROLLFACE: That means, after you do the combo, you will heal for amazing 950 Hit Points! The best thing is you wont even need a heal, because you won't get damaged if playing by my guide. See the section about teamfights.

- This is the reworked Zhonya's Ring. Now, this item is, next to Deathcap and Rylai's, A MUST. Why? Well, 1st of all 100 AP, thats 2nd highest AP-giving item. Second, the 50 armour you get from it. Its will make you last longer and be more durable when facing Nocturne, Tryndamere, Evelynn..wait wut? Evelynn? SHE WONT LAST LONG ENOUGH TO HIT YOU :D
Anyway, the AP, the Armour and the active! Oh my God, this is the item with the best unique active power i've ever seen! Now, with your bulkiness, and your damage output, most clever and normal players will focus none other then you. So, lets say that a teamfight erupts in front of Nashor's cave. You WONT get in. You will stay back and nuke like crazey, because if you get in you will be roflstomped. Thats why, you have this baby. On activation, you become untargetable for 2 seconds, but immobilized too. Who cares, since no1 can hurt you for that amount of time, which is enough for: - Your skills cooldown?- Um..your spells cooldown?- Your buddies to stomp your opponents - Um..Convince your enemies to stop attacking you
Thats all i guess, but this item is just great, and when is say great, i mean really

I finish my build with this great and awesome item. It will give you 70 AP, and tbh its cheap. 40% + Magic penetration, is a Last Whisper for AP Casters. Nothing more to say about this item, i buy it as a finisher on my build.

Items: Mana Caster

- In this section, imma show ye the build on Mana Casting Brand. Nao, i dont personally like mana casters, all except Ryze but Brand is well-suited mana caster as well. If built correctly.

Its 12:16 and i dont have time to write for every item particulary, but the build underneath is focused on making you tanky, have tons of AP and be tanky!

Summoner Spells: The primar choices

- My summoner spells, are classic, Flash/Ignite. I think that every champ fighting mid should have those because, it lets you escape with Flash, lets you finish off with Ignite, lets you escape ganks, allows you to prevent healing from pots or skills etc.

Summoner Spells: Viable Choices

There are other few other spells, good to take, but i still recommend Flignite xD. Now, i nearly forgot to write that when playing Mana Caster Brand, you will need to constantly spam your skills to increase the mana, received from Archangel's Staff. Brand's CD isnt that short actually. It will be a pain-in-the-a*s. However, the viable summoner spells are:

- This will make your enemy facepalm. Healing right after they QWER combo you, will make them rage hard! Still..oomm, Flignite is a lot better then taking this. Take it if you are a new player and later switch if with flignite :D

- Normally, your AD Carry should take this but if you dont have a choice..Then..Take it

- Roaming type? This is a spell for you

- Now you may think this is a joke..and..u know, IT IS :D Taking this spell is just fine, its awesome, and it rly rox! Herpderp

Early Game - AP Brand

Ok, if you start playing AP Brand, then buy Doran's Ring and head 2 midlane. Now, i personally, farm constantly until lvl 6 when i mostly score a 1st blood. You can easily farm about 40 creeps until lvl 6, by using Pillar of Flame-> Conflagration combo. Its easy to use and you will farm quickly that way. After you go back 4 the 1st time, buy boots and start building Rabadon's Deathcap. Til' 20th minute, you should have the Ring, Boots, and Deathcap.

Mid Game - AP Brand

This is the part where Brand truly shines. You should constantly keep farming, taking the blue buff every time you can and stick together with your team MOSTLY. Now, by this point, a teamfight should errupt. Trust me, be sure to take at least a double kill, you need tons of gold at this point of game. Anyway, keep farming creep waves, its easy and its not demanding. When you buy Rylai's Crystal Scepter it should be..well about 30 minutes since you started the match.

Late Game - AP Brand

Your damage output should be great now, you should keep teamfighting and possibly take a Nashor's buff. Gold should be just flowing into your pocket, without stopping. Now, the thing i always do is that i always last hit with my powers to take the kill. If someone accuses you for KSing just say im the AP carry bro, cant blaim me :)
Anyway..You should be full build until 45th minute. If you arent, then you were playing a little worse then you were supposed to.

Lets just skip it: Mana Casting Brand Gameplay

- I start with a mana crystal, and i keep farming as i usually do. This time i hug until lvl 6 because im squishy. I go back at lvl 6 and buy tear of the godess and Boots of Speed. Then, i start playing offensively and i go for a gank top/bot. I ask for a blue buff and then i keep harassing my opponent mid. After some time, i go back and buy archangel's stuff. Thats about 1860 gold. Then i keep clearing out lanes and killing wraiths and wolves in the jungle all the time. Then i buy my boots. After that i buy a fast RoA, at the point of about 15th minute, and i usually got a few kills by that point. Then, i head 4 Rabadon's Deathcap and then the rest of my items just.."come by on their own" tbh, because i keep farming like mad and i USUALLY get about 10 kills at 20 minutes of playing. When a teamfight errupts, i usually get a doublekill, so my gold is inc. quickly. Mana Brand is good and tanky, but less effective then AP Brand.

Farming

Farming with Brand is a peace of cake. How 2 do it? Ok, find the exhausted enemy minion wave, in any lane. Let them formate in their special formation, and then W->E them. That way, your damage output will be insane and you will kill most of the minions affected by that combo. Its easy, so farm constantly.

Teamfights

When a teamfight errupts, the thing i do is that i stay out of the middle of the fight, and i keep nuking with my spells. Ulti when everyone is low to get a tripple/quadra/pentakill. Its possible, however that the enemy team ignores everyone and roflstomps me. Thats why i activate Zhonya's Hourglass to survive in 80% of all teamfights. Keep W-ing constantly because your main damage output comes that way.

El Fin

Summoners, i hope you liked my guide, i hope it helped you play better, and i wish you good luck. Please vote on my guide, be sure to read it whole and leave me a comment. Dont trollvote, and be honest :) Be sure to also, check my guide on Gangplank, im sure you will like it.